Fairy War
by Quazie89
Summary: A Spyro the Dragon crossover with Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
1. ONE: Lazy Day

ONE:

Lazy Day

The dragon stirred in the grass, unfolding its miniature wings out to either side of its purple-scaled body.

He had been sleeping, or at least trying to. Though accomplishing any rest whatsoever proved to be a difficult task when you had Sparx the Dragonfly hovering over your horned, spike-encrusted head every waking day of your life, shouting weird sayings and unwanted advice in your ears.

"'bout time you woke up, Spyro the Lazy Dragon! I've been shouting at you for hours!"

Snorting, Spyro tilted his head up at the dragonfly as it spoke, flaring his nostrils. "You're being very annoying this morning, you know that?" he said, yawning and blinking the sun out of his violet eyes.

The Dragon Realms were enjoying a fairly warm, lengthy summer, and Spyro was feeling the effects of it as he emerged from under the shade of the tall, leafy grass that grew all over the Artisan home world. This was too much heat, even for a dragon.

"And you woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Sparx retorted, and Spyro cracked a toothy grin.

"Oh did I?" The dragon said, hoping to unnerve the dragonfly just a bit.

"Um…yes…you did…" Sparx muttered, and took off. Shaking his head, Spyro loped off after him, his spiked tail swaying in perfect rhythm with his young body.

"So what are we going to do today?" Sparx asked, looking bored. They had come to a stop at a small waterfall that cascaded down into an undersized pool in which five stepping stones floated on top of. "Chase sheep?"

Spyro nodded. "That's always fun," he said, plunging into the pool and being careful not to scrape his tender hide against the side of the stones as he circled around them.

Sparx sighed, his stick-thin body drooping in disappointment. "It's always the sheep with you," he said, but Spyro had begun to hum contentedly to himself as he paddled.

It had been a year since he and Sparx had defeated Gnasty Gnorc, and things had gotten a little bit too peaceful lately. For months Spyro and Sparx had talked about going to Dragon Shores for a bit more excitement and fun but for some reason had never gotten around to it.

"You almost done yet?" Sparx asked, and Spyro pushed his head out of the water, blowing smoke rings and puffing out his snout. He had only been in the pool for five minutes and already Sparx had asked that question over a dozen times.

"Yes, I am now!" the dragon spat at his friend, hauling himself out of the water. Shaking himself dry he added, "Happy now?"

"Very much," Sparx replied, smiling as he buzzed away. It was time to go fry some sheep.

* * *

Far above the land upon which Spyro and Sparx chased down sheep, in a world of blue skies and fluffy clouds, Kartha the Dark Fairy rode astride her majestic steed, the golden phoenix Leo. She had come to the Dragon Realms in the hopes that she could finally get away from her father, the current demon lord of Faerie. 

"Father wouldn't approve of this would he, dear Leo?" Kartha asked the bronze bird, whose wing span reached up to forty feet. She felt the wind whip through her lengthy, ebony hair as she spoke, and the spoilt fairy princess sighed with contentment. Now this was living; back home, in a wood at the foot of the great Geek city Athens, the world of faerie was concealed by giant woodland that enshrouded the fairy kingdom from wind, storms, and other nasty forms of weather but here…she could feel all of that, and it felt great.

_Its no wonder father doesn't want me here_, she thought, scanning her crimson eyes downward toward the rolling hills and peaked towers below. She was impressed by this colorful scenery, which her father would completely detest, being the swamp-loving, darkness-craving imp lord he was.

His prisoner Oberon, however, would've loved it.

Thinking of the fairy king made Kartha snarl. It was all because of him that her father had developed a hatred for magic; he was the reason why she was locked up in her room everyday, forced to watch Titania strut about her husband's castle like the drama queen she was…

_Dragon alert, my lady_, Leo inserted into her mind through the telepathic means of communication that they shared, and Kartha forced her intention toward the scene below.

Just as Leo had said, there was a dragon hunting in the fields below her, gorging on nice, round puffy sheep. A little yellow orb could be seen floating along side the dragon, and Kartha instantly wanted it, mistaking it to be some form of High Magic.

"Let's go for it," she ordered Leo, and the faithful bird swooped into an impressive dive…

* * *

Sparx cheered half-heartily as Spyro impaled the sheep on one of his spiral horns, causing the sheep to poof into a colorful butterfly as blood began to drip down the dragon's face. 

Disgusted by the sight, Sparx turned away and gobbled down the butterfly, feeling a bit sick. As he ate, the bug watched Spyro as the dragon licked his chops just before dropping to the ground, where he rolled in the grass to rid himself of the blood.

"Ack, always a nasty business," Sparx said as Spyro stood up minutes later, clean as whistle. Spyro smiled thinly.

"You bet," he said, rolling his eyes upward. Something had distracted him and Sparx saw what it was an instant later when an enormous bird landed in between them, bearing what Sparx would call a 'hot fairy chick'.

"That's called murder," the girl said, sliding smoothly down from the bird's back as it crouched for her. Sparx made a face.

"And what's that called?" he wanted to know, shaking his head at the sight of the fairy princess' steed. "Some guy dressed in a Bigbird costume from some kid's show?"

The fairy smiled. "No, he's name is Leo and he is a phoenix, not a cartoon character," she said, matter-of-factly, and Sparx shared a frown with Spyro. Where did this girl come from?  
"May I ask where you came from?" Spyro said, and Sparx groaned. Why did it always seem like Spyro was reading his mind?

"I come from a world that's apart from this one," the girl replied, and Sparx whistled as she extended out a pair of black, velvet wings. Spyro just narrowed his eyes as she continued: "It's a world without dragons and I live in a kingdom near one of its greatest cities: Athens, the wondrous city of Greek, where Faerie lies hidden a dark wood nearby –"

"Come on Spyro, let's loose this ninny," Sparx suggested, making a move to flutter away but Spyro held a claw out into his path.

"Let's see what she has to say first," he disagreed, and Sparx began to pout. Kartha smiled.

"Very well, then," she said, sitting down on the grass. Once Sparx and Spyro had done the same she began: "First of all, I came from a portal…"

Spyro and Sparx were all ears.


	2. TWO: Unpleasant Homecoming

TWO:

Unpleasant Homecoming

_Two months ago, in a wood near Athens…_

The forest was enchanted, Puck knew, but dear Zeus it didn't have to be so freaking confusing! It seemed that every time he turned around he was lead in the direction opposite of where he was heading and the mischievous imp just couldn't take all this confusion….

"There should be a map," Puck grumbled, stomping around the forest floor, which was littered with the fall leaves. "Why couldn't king Oberon have given me one before I left…why, hello, what's this?" He paused in his musings for a moment to take a closer look at the forest floor, which was covered in ashes, soot, and burn marks.

_Someone had a party here last night, that's for sure_, Puck thought, and continued on his way. He had gone barely more then a mile when a concerned voice chirped: _It was demons. They crashed through here last night. Does the good fairy king know_?

Startled, Puck shot his head up. In a tree ahead of him, a female sparrow perched atop a branch, looking down on him with frightened eyes. She had spoken into his mind, as must all fairy creatures do to communicate with their fellow humans, and he welcomed the voice; it had gotten too quiet around here.

"No, but I was just going to see him," Puck admitted, and the bird frowned at him. "Could you show me the way?"

_Oh, I know who you are_, she claimed, and Puck flinched. _You're that feisty rogue who everybody talks about back up at the castle. Why should I help you_?

"Because I have magic cookies!" Puck lied, and the bird sighed.

_Its that way_, She said, pointing her feathered wings westward, and Puck saluted her. He marched off before leaping into flight, humming to himself as his scarlet, sandy hair flapped in the breeze. He was finally going home!

* * *

Not too far away, at the very moment that Puck had been consulting with the bird, a clan of demons began to stir in their camp. They were visitors to this part of the world, and they had spent most of the previous night crashing about the wood, celebrating. 

Their leader, the demon lord Bartus, who just happened to be Kartha's father, was the first one up that morning. He rallied all his followers awake, including his spoilt, yet beautiful daughter, who fired up at him, _literally_.

"You know that I need my beauty rest, father!" she seethed, her entire body erupting into angry flames as she unfolded her wings. She had always been cranky upon waking up in the mornings, so Bartus wasn't really all that surprised by her reaction.

"I need a wife more then you need your sleep," he muttered, stifling a yawn with the long, clawed fingers of his right hand. His demons, as was the same for all creatures from the Underworld (Hades, their ruler, had unleashed them upon the world after he had a slight temper tantrum ), were tall, with long, dangly legs, bumpy crimson skin, and a flat, horned skull out of which a pair of black horns extended from either side.

Their hair color, like humans, varied from demon to demon, though Bartus possessed the same dark hair as his daughter, who had no mother to identify her good looks with. Thinking of the tragedy that had stolen her away, Bartus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, saying, "Where is that bird of yours? Were moving out and you know you can't fly because Hades clipped your wings – "

"Don't remind me father!" Kartha hissed, and she whistled. In an instant her golden phoenix was crouching down before them, studying father and daughter with a critical eye. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Last night one of my magicians scryed for a suitable woman for me," Bartus replied, launching himself into the air. Looking down on his daughter he added, "And they found her."  
"Oh? And who is she?" Kartha asked, riding Leo up to her father's side. When she reached him the demon grinned.

"Why, it's Titania, my dear, the Queen of the fairies," he said, and Kartha groaned.

"You know that this is going to start a war," she said, as they flew away from camp. Bartus just smiled.

* * *

"You know, things have gotten awful quite without Puck around," Oberon said, and his wife Titania stirred in the bed beside him. 

"I'm not complaining," she yawned, raising her head up from her pillow. Oberon smiled at her as she blinked her slanted, emerald eyes up at him, distracting him away from the messy, blond mop that was her hair. She was so beautiful, and her long, pointed ears were the most elegant in all of Faerie Not even his ears were as gorgeous as hers.

"Oh, you know you miss him," Oberon teased, running his fingers behind her ears. Giggling, she gripped his hand with her long, slender fingers, prying them away from her smooth, mortal face.

"If I recall, you were the one that sent him away," she remanded him, and Oberon sighed.

"True," he admitted, sliding his fingers through his long, dark hair. "But if I hadn't he would've driven the whole court crazy and besides…he wanted to leave on vacation anyway. He talked about it for months."  
"I know," Titania grumbled, throwing herself off the bed. Stretching, she muttered, "He wouldn't shut up about that Hawaii place. Come on, let's go out for a walk."

"Good plan," Oberon agreed, and together they strode out of their bright-painted bedchamber, laughing and talking as they enjoyed each other's company.

* * *

"Oy! I have returned my friends! Anybody miss me?" Puck cried later that day as he flew into the Great Hall of Oberon's castle. The grand fairy king himself was sitting at the table with his wife, having just finished his walk with Titania and eating lunch. 

"You were saying?" Titania hissed under her breath, her lips twisting into an annoyed smile. Oberon smiled back and greeted Puck.

"Why Puck, it sure is good to have you back," he said, watching the mischievous fairy flitter about the table, shooting all the guests a look that promised mayhem for years to come.

"Same for you, my friend," Puck said, flying up to Oberon and pulling at the king's hair playfully. Looking at Titaina the fairy asked, "So, have you had any children yet? I could baby-sit you know? For a handsome price, however!"

"I see you haven't changed a bit," Titania said, and Puck smiled.

"I know," he said, planting a quick kiss on her cheek. Her face was turning red as he added, "Ain't it great?"

Just as he spoke, the large, oaken doors that served as the entrance to the Great Hall blasted open with a loud bang, sending strips of wood flying as everyone ducked under the table.

"Hello, Oberon. Haven't seen you in years. What have you been up to lately, you old dog?"

At the sound of the voice Oberon rose from under the table. Standing before his enemy, he growled, "You shouldn't be here. The demons were banished from here long ago. What gave Hades the right to send you back?"

"Hades didn't have a say in it," Bartus shouted, and Kartha flew in on Leo, looking at the scene with interest.

"So, you're supposed to be my new mother?" she said as she caught Titania's eyes. The fairy queen frowned up at the girl.

"Who says?" she said, and Bartus fumed.

"I do," he said, and called bursts of flames into his hands. Answering the challenge, Oberon surrounded himself in a blue orb and began to cast a spell. As he did, Bartus shot a wall of fire at Titania, incasing her in a box of fire.

Furious, Oberon hurled a shot of blue lightening at the demon, striking him down for a minute before he got up again, creating another spell. This one, when it struck Oberon, trapped him in a cyclone of fiery chains.

In her prison, Titania began to scream but her screams went unheard.

* * *

Life in Oberon's castle for the rest of that month was miserable. Puck wished that his homecoming had been a bit more enjoyable but he had spent his first few weeks back running from the demons, who were hording over everything in sight. You couldn't even go to the bathroom without one of them poking their face out of the toilet hole and grinning at you. 

A month had passed before he finally decided that he wasn't going to put up with this madness anymore. By that time, Bartus and his daughter had made themselves quite at home. Bartus had even gone as far as claiming Titania as his wife, sleeping in bed with her while his daughter ordered the demons about.

Titania, of course, was unaware of all of this. Bartus had put her under a spell that made everything an illusion. Like, instead of seeing demons, the elf queen would be seeing happy animals frolicking all over the place, serving her folk with relative ease.

Puck only knew this because one day, as he had been slinking about, he caught Titania having an imaginary conversation with a stag, who was actually the ugliest demon that Puck had ever seen. Turned out that this demon was Bartus' magician, and Puck thought it best to stay away from him.

He couldn't hide from black magic much longer, however. As he went about making an escape plan, which took another half month to think out, Puck ran into Kartha as he had been treading up one of the castle's narrow staircases that led up to one of the seven towers that were constructed onto the castle. Why she had been up there he had never found out but he could bet his wings that she was up to no good.

"What are you doing here?" the demon princess scoffed at him as he nearly flew past her, and Puck halted in midair. Looking at her, he could tell that she got all her horrible looks from Bartus, who was as ugly as Cerberus.

"Is it any of your business?" Puck retorted, and was about to make a move for it when Kartha muttered a spell at him, rendering him helplessly immobile.

"Everything's my business," she hissed, and Puck rolled his eyes.

"You demons are absolutely mental," he said, ignoring the steam that was radiating off of Kartha's hair.

"I dare you to say that again," she said, and began to stomp off. Panicking, Puck eyes bulged out of their sockets and he tried to shout after her but he couldn't. Suddenly, she halted, turned to face him, and snapped her fingers. He was able to move again.

"Thanks for nothing, I guess!" Puck shouted after Kartha as she abandoned him. He got no answer.

* * *

Kartha needed magic. Her father had vowed a long time ago, ever since it had taken mother away from them, to never let her near the stuff ever again but…if she didn't get a hold of some magical thing soon she was going to go insane because magic was like a drug: It was imposable to go a day without it. 

Lucky for her, she had an idea as to where some magic might be: the king and queen's bedchamber. After all, Oberon and Titania were the most powerful of the Faerie folk. Wouldn't it make sense if they had a butt load of magic locked away in their private dorm?

Turn out that they did. When Kartha reached the top of the stairs, where the door to the queen's bedchamber awaited her, she swung open the door and looked around. The first thing to catch her eye was a mirror dresser facing the foot of the bed. It was glowing.

"A portal," she whispered in awe, and took a step toward it. Once she was within touching distance of the mirror, she extended her hand out toward it. Just as she did, Leo flew in through the bedroom window, creating a rainstorm of glass in the room as he bowled into her. It occurred to her then that she had staid away from him for far too long and she was about to make it up to him when the mirror opened up into a portal, swallowing them both as she tumbled backwards into it.


	3. THREE: In Avalar

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews everybody! Wish I could give you some magic cookies but Puck won't let me have any.

* * *

THREE:

In Avalar

"And that's how I got here," Kartha concluded, receiving a disbelieving stare from Spyro, who had been glaring at the demon princess the entire time she had been talking. Sparx had only kept his mouth shut about it long enough to hear Kartha's story but now that she was finished…he saw no reason why he should question his friend's grumpy behavior.

"What's the matter with you, Spyro, buddy?" he asked, and the dragon stared at him.

"Don't you see Sparx?" he growled, standing up to advance upon Kartha, who remained still and calm. Not even a feisty dragon got under her skin. "She's lying! And even if she was telling the truth, once her father finds out she's here, he'll bring war here! He'll bring war to the Dragon Realms!"

"Then why don't we just kidnap her and go away?!" Sparx suggested, fluttering about excitedly as more chaotic ideas formed in his small brain. Spyro could just see the wheels turning in his friends little head as he added: "We could go to Dragon Shores and take Kartha with us! We've been talking about it for months, anyhow, so why don't we just do it and go! I'm sick of chasing sheep!"

Spyro sighed, and nodded. "You're right," he said, ready to march off. "You're absolutely right. Let's go now."

"Wait, where are we going?" Kartha asked, and Spyro and Sparx stared at each other.

_Meanwhile, back in the wood near Athens…_

"Where is my daughter?" Bartus snarled, and Puck flinched away from his horrible, smoke-smelling breath. He had just left from the tower in which he had ran into Kartha and was making his way back to the Great Hall when the demon had intercepted him.

"How in Hades name should I know?" Puck exclaimed, making to fly around the demon when Bartus raised a fist to clutch him in a strangling grasp.

"You were just with her, weren't you?" Bartus guessed, and Puck gulped, nodding shamefully, "Then tell me where she went!"

Not seeing how he could possibly get out of this, Puck raised a tiny, gnarled finger behind his back, where the staircase Kartha had ran into him was located. Bartus cackled with evil laughter.

"Why, thank you for you corporation," he expressed his gratitude, and headed for the top of the staircase's tower, still clutching Puck in a death grip. When they arrived at the king and queen's bedchamber, he blasted open the door and strolled in.

"Where is she?" the demon asked after they had stood in the empty room for several minutes, and Puck made an attempt to shrug but Bartus was gripping him too tightly. He could barely even say what he said next.

"In the mirror."

"Go and get her!" Bartus snarled, and tossed Puck into the swirling mirror without a second thought.

_In Avalar…_

"Come, on, Ripto's got to be afraid of something! Everyone is!" Elora exclaimed, and the Professor narrowed his eyes at the impatient faun. Standing next to Hunter the Cheetah, who had his bow and arrows wrapped across his spotted chest and back, she looked simply radiant.

"I know that, dear," he replied, consulting his notebook once more and removing his pencil from behind one of his ears, which was overlapped by thinning, grey hair. He was getting too old for this sort of business, though something had to be done about Ripto, who was tearing the kingdom apart right at this moment.

"Then what are we going to do?" Hunter wondered out loud, and the Professor gave an impatient cough.

"Well we could…nah, there hasn't been one seen in years," he mused, tapping his pencil against his brown forehead.

"One what?" A new voice said, and the Professor reluctantly raised his head up to see a giant, lumbering bear approach them.

"Get lost, Moneybags," Hunter said, and the selfish, jolly bear chuckled.

"Looks like your already lost," he pointed out, and the Professor shook his head.

"No where not," he said, looking meaningfully up at the portal before him. "We're not because I know now what we could use…a dragon."

Elora began to sputter. "A d-dragon…but sir, how are we supposed to find one?" she said, and the Professor smiled.

"By using the portal," he said, but just as he did, a loud, threatening roar erupted out across the land, causing the odd group of creatures to jump. In the split second that they did, a hideous four-legged dinosaur came tromping up to them, bearing a short, ugly man on its broad back. This was Ripto.

"Plot against me, will you?" he cried, brandishing a jeweled staff about wildly. The prehistoric beast beneath him swayed dangerously from side to side, sending Ripto falling to the ground. "Gah! I'll turn you all into stone for this!" the little man promised, and aimed his staff randomly at Moneybags, who let out a high-pitched yelp.

Before Ripto could commence his attack, however, the Professor had activated the Portal, bringing the emerald orbs that decorated its bronze frame to life as it summoned forth Spyro.

* * *

Spyro felt himself spinning as the portal carried him and Sparx through dimensions. More than once the disoriented dragon tried to turn around and see if his friend was still in one peace but he got a sickening feeling in his stomach every time he made the attempt and was forced to look ahead. There was no sign of Kartha, either, but Spyro wasn't really worried about her. 

The ride seemed to go on forever until finally, it was over. Spyro shouted as he felt himself fall into Dragon Shores, or what was supposed to be Dragon Shores. A second glance at this new place he was in, however, told Spyro that he was anywhere but at the beach.

"Say, Spyro, where are all the hot bikini babes and beach balls, eh?"

Spyro felt his spirits lift at the sound of the voice, which could only belong to Sparx. Looking around, he discovered the dragonfly hovering over his head, looking dazed. He was about to sigh with relief when someone shouted for help, and Spyro barely took the time for another look around to see what was what before he lowered his horns and charged at the attacker, who he could barely see with his blurred eyesight.

"Professor, he's perfect," a female voice whispered, and Spyro, without thinking of it, began to preen.

"Uh, Spyro, pretty boy, Kartha has flown the coop," Sparx announced, and Spyro ceased slicking his spikes down with his claws to glance for their demon visitor.

She was indeed gone.

* * *

Kartha felt herself flying backwards, away from Spyro and Sparx, who were both spinning out of control. She screamed as something tugged at her hair, forcing her back to Oberon's castle. 

"Let go!" she screamed as she landed, with a violent thump, back in the fairy king's throne room. She could hear the faint buzzing of wings as she came to, and when she saw who the vigorous wing beats belonged to she bared her fangs at Puck and hissed: "You. I've had enough of you! Why did you bring me back here?"

"Your precious _daddy_ would have killed me if I hadn't brought you back!" Puck shouted, his voice dripping with sarcasm and hate. "So you better be happy I brought you home, missy – "

"But I don't want to be here!" Kartha shouted, making a move toward the portal, which suddenly went dead.

"Too bad," her father said, and Kartha turned around to find the demon lord standing in the doorway, pointing a finger at the portal, which he had shut off. His magician stood beside him, tall, dark, and brooding as ever. Kartha felt trapped.

"No, please open it! Please!" she begged, hating herself as much as she did her father at that moment. Never before had she begged, and doing so now made her feel lower then the deepest depths of the Underworld.

"Tell me who you were with first, then I might consider it," Bartus offered, and Kartha's lips began to quiver. This was so unfair! There was no way her dad would believe her and if he did…he would never let her out of his sight again.

"It was a dragon, pa! A real one!" she said, and then quickly added, "Small, but real!"

"Do you believe this, Stark?" Bartus asked the magician, who slowly shook his head.

"Doesn't say much, does he?" Puck said, and Stark grunted, annoyed.

"He says enough," her father replied, and went to walk out. Kartha began to shout.

"Oh father please!" she begged some more, whishing that this day would end. "Please listen…I'm not lying! Hades burn me if I'm lying!"

This last one made him stop. Turning around, he faced the magician and ordered, "Scry for this dragon, see if she's telling the truth. I'll be readying my troops."

"Now look what you've done," Puck said, and fell silent as Kartha burst into tears.

With a swish of his blue, flowing cloak, Stark turned his back on the girl and trudged off, heading for the dungeons in which his lab was located. When he reached the lab's entrance, he flung the double doors open and strode in. A treasure trove of potions, maps, spell books, and powerful experiments awaited him inside, as well as Oberon.  
The fairy king lay huddled in a spell-crafted cage at the back of the room, and had looked up at Stark as he walked in. The magician smiled at the once great fairy king, saying, "What have you been thinking about in my absence, hum? Your precious wife, perhaps? She's having a good time with Bartus right now."

Oberon, saying nothing, turned his back on the demonic wizard and never moved again. Stark just went to work.

He turned to his table, upon which he sat out his scrying mirror. Peering into it, he began to chant, and within seconds the tiny mirror begun to glow and swirl as the portal had done earlier, eventually showing him the image of a small, purple dragon. The bird that had belonged to Bartus' daughter was also there, proving that at some point the demon princess herself had been tagging along with the dragon and his pals, who were in a world which he later learned was called Avalar.

Smiling, Stark switched everything off in his lab and left, chuckling to himself. He had what he wanted.

Outside, in the courtyard, Titania sat across Bartus' lap as her demon prince ordered about his troops, who were preparing to march out that day to go after her horrible little daughter. It wasn't long before Bartus' magician had joined them.

"Well, Stark, what do you have for me?" Bartus questioned the dark wizard, and Stark smiled.

"Excellent proof my lord," he said, and shot into Bartus' mind, through telepathy, the image of the purple dragon and his friends that he had seen in the mirror. Once he had relayed this image to the demon lord, Bartus smiled.

"Indeed, very excellent," he praised, and Titania felt a slight chill that had nothing to do with the weather. "Where are they?"

"In another realm called Avalar," Stark replied, smiling. Bartus smiled back.

Winter was indeed, coming on.


	4. FOUR: Swimming Lessons

FOUR:

Swimming Lessons

"Where do think she could've gone?" Elora asked the magnificent phoenix perched beside her. She sat with him on the edge of the giant pond in which Spyro was having swimming lessons with Moneybags, who had had the dragon pay a hefty sum for his teachings.

She, however, was more worried about the absence of the big bird's friend then Moneybag's unhealthy love for gems. The giant, bronze bird hadn't said much since Kartha's abrupt disappearance, and Elora was starting to worry about her new feathered friend.

"He can't talk to you," the Professor said, and Elora turned to stare at the elderly mole as he approached them.

"And why not?" she asked, getting a chuckle out of the scientist.

"He can only speak to the fairy folk," he answered, and Elora sighed.

"Oh well," she muttered, propping her chin up in her hands. "At least I still have Hunter and the others to talk to…if that's a good thing."

The professor, chuckling, sat down beside her. "I think Hunter cares for you very much, my dear, don't let him get to you," he said, and was about to give her a comforting pat on the back when Hunter came speeding up to them on his fast and furious legs, looking a bit too excited about something.

"Hey guys, guess what? I just broke one of my old speed records!" he boasted, and Elora groaned, putting her face in her hands. Hunter laughed.

"Aw, come on babe, don't be so gloomy," he tried to cheer her up and sat down beside her. Leo chose to ignore him, turning his back on the ecstatic cheetah as he made himself comfortable beside Elora. The young faun unwillingly turned her gaze upon the seriously completive cat.

"Do I look gloomy?" she asked, and Hunter laughed.

"As gloomy as Sparx over there," he said, inclining his head toward the dragonfly, who was hovering aimlessly over the water, waiting impatiently for his friend to emerge from its glowing depths. "He thinks Moneybags charged them too much. Spyro does to of course, but I don't hear the little guy complaining," Hunter went on, and the Professor tsked to himself.

"Better not let him hear you call him small," he said, staring out into the water, which was rippling continuously. "That he may be but he has fiery temper, the temper of a dragon."

Elora silently agreed.

* * *

The water felt great. Spyro could've just spent hours swimming through it, turning summersaults and cartwheels as he maneuvered freely about this watery world. The fish were annoying, though; they kept on getting in his way and every time he encountered one he would have to bash it out of his path. 

"I think that's enough for today, Spyro," he heard Moneybag's voice call to him from the surface, and Spyro groaned, producing water bubbles that entrapped a fish that had been swimming ahead of him as they traveled away from his mouth. "You didn't pay me enough for extra time!"

As Moneybags finished those last words, Spyro hurled himself out of the water and launched himself at the bear, who was sitting on the land with the others.

"That's my mean, purple, fighting machine!" Sparx cheered as Moneybags struggled to get out from under Spyro, who was eating up Sparx's praises.

As Sparx made sure to point out, the bear didn't know what had hit him.

_Meanwhile, at the scene of the final battle: the Volcano…_

"Gulp! Where are you, you great lumbering idiot? You're never around when I need you – AAAH!" Ripto let out a frustrated shout as he realized where he was. Lava completely surrounded him, and he was trapped on a silver platform that floated in its scorching, hot depths.

_If Gulp is around here, it would be a wonder if he's still alive…_ Ripto thought as he began to pace around the circular rock he was marooned on, perhaps, for the rest of his miserable life. Oh well, at least he would have plenty of time to hatch up devious plans of murder and revenge!

Chuckling to himself, Ripto walked over to the edge of the platform, peering into the volcanic waters beneath him, and jumped backwards in astonishment as it began to ripple and bubble until a familiar beast leaped out of the fiery pool and unto the platform.

"Gulp! How dare you remove yourself from my sight?!" Ripto roared, whacking his staff against Gulp's thick skull. The gullible dinosaur just sat there and took the abuse, rolling his eyes. His Master didn't actually appear life-threatening, only silly and his blows hardly hurt at all.

Nevertheless, Ripto didn't seem to care. He did, thankfully, eventually ceased whacking his ridiculous-looking sidekick and turned his attention back on the lava. What were they to do? That dragon had kicked his evil rump all the way to the hottest land in the Dragon Realms, and there seemed to be no way out. What to do…What to do?

Ripto never even bothered to ask Gulp; there was no point when he himself didn't even know what they were dealing with.

_Back in the wood near Athens…_

Bartus had his demons marching out of the wood by midday. He had chose to leave his daughter back up in the castle, figuring that she couldn't do much harm there with no one around to encourage her. He did make sure, however, that Stark had went back and made certain that she was safely locked away in the dungeons with her father, who had no way of communicating with her while he remained trapped in his prison. Stark had made sure of that.

"We'll make the portal when were a bit farther away from the castle," the magician said, and Bartus turned to face his hideously-scared expression. At one time the demon wizard might've been handsome, but now, thinks to years of battle and traveling, his face was worn and his hair was silver. Not even his horns were as sharp as they used to be.

"Why not, magic man?" Titania said, swaying wildly against Bartus' side. He was beginning to think that, just maybe, he had used too much magic on her…

"We don't want any magical interference," Stark hissed, bearing his teeth in annoyance. Bartus had known for years that the magician had never been good at socializing, and he was starting to wonder if the old man would be able to handle all of this excitement.

"Say, Stark, is this too much for you?" Bartus asked him, waving his arm over all his soldiers, who kept on marching.

"Certainly not," Stark reassured him, "Matter of fact, I've needed some company lately. It's a bit too quiet in that lab sometimes…wait, stop!"

The magician had halted, sliding a red arm out from under his azure cloak and holding the palm of it up. All the soldiers stopped in their tracks, their slanted, feline eyes focused entirely on the wise, devilish magician, who was smiling.

"Look behind you," he urged them, and everyone did as he ordered, even Bartus, who understood at once what the wizard was trying to point out to them.

"Oh no, the castle has disappeared!" Titania gasped, still flailing her body about crazily. "What are we to do, oh Master?!"

They were miles away from the castle now, and there was no turning back.

"I will make the portal here," Stark said, and began to rub his hands together. "It will only take a moment…so you just go away, madam, and take your little lover with you while I work."

Bartus raised his eyebrows at Stark and was about to make a smart comeback when the magician began to chant, calling forth blue sparks out of the ground and forcing everyone to move away from him.

The portal had been created within seconds, and Bartus had been completely mystified as he watched it grow up out of the ground at the wizard's beckoning. It was nothing but a pool of swirling silver, which hung suspended over the forest floor as it was finished. It looked majestic, and powerful, yet Stark had created it so effortlessly.

"There, is your portal to Avalar," Stark said, breathlessly and, without warning, collapsed to the ground. Bartus rushed to his aid and helped him up.

"It takes more and more out of me as I get older," the wizard explained, leaning heavily against Bartus' side. "No need to worry, though, I still got a few tricks up my sleeve…whoa, wait, your woman has already gone frolicking into my portal! That crazy she-elf!"

Bartus chuckled. "Looks like we'll just go on in after her," he said, and took his fist step toward to the portal, still supporting Stark, who had ordered the army to fallow them into Avalar.

The fairy war had begun.


	5. FIVE: Kartha's Escape Plan

FIVE:

Kartha's Escape Plan

It was hard to believe that they had only come here just two months ago, in August. Now, judging by how cold and damp it was growing in the dungeons, Kartha was guessing that they were well into November and that winter wouldn't be too far off.

Time didn't seem to be going by that fast, however. Since she had been imprisoned down here with her father, who was entrapped within a spell-wrought cage next to her own, time had seemed to slow to a sickening halt.

It was times like these, when the days tediously crawled by, that Kartha thought of Leo. She recalled the first time they had met, which had been during the early days in which her father and his legion of demons were still restricted to live in Hades' Underworld. Hades had made the bird for her by himself after he had clipped Kartha's wings as punishment for a prank she had committed with some friends. He had formed it out of the undying fires of his kingdom, thus giving Leo immortal life.

Kartha smiled thinly as she remembered that entire incident. Hades had said to her that the bird would never die and that, if he was felled by some notorious being, then the bird would rise up again from the ashes that were created from the fire in which gave it birth.

_Wish he could've done that for my mother, _Kartha thought, regretfully, and turned to glance over at her mother's murderer, who had his back turned away from her. She wondered if he was thinking of the woman who he had killed after the demons had rose up from the Underworld years ago, in the First Demon War.

It had been for the better good, Oberon had claimed, but Kartha could still see herself standing on the battlefield as she watched the fairy king run her mother through with his great and terrible sword of magic.

_For the better good my pretty butt,_ she thought, feeling tears of fire running down her cheeks. They slightly warmed her skin although her heart still felt as cold ice.

Ice…that was it! She cried out as the realization had hit her. Her cage was made out of ice! All this time she had been staring at it, admiring how her breath would fog over its shiny flat surface as she shivered and shivered, not once realizing that it was ice which her hellfire could melt.

_Oh, Stark, you've messed up! _She thought, laughing to herself as she surrounded her body with fire. She giggled as the flames licked her skin, melting away her ice prison as they leaped into the air. Stark thought he had been so crafty and clever when he had put her down here but he had thought wrong.

Once the cage had melted away and she was completely free, Kartha walked over to Oberon's cage and glared down at the fairy king, who barely lifted his head up to look at her. .

"Give me one good reason why I should set you free," she growled, and the fairy king smiled deliriously up at her. Kartha sighed and readied her fire.

* * *

Avalar…so far, Bartus liked what he saw of the new realm, but what attracted him the most to it where all the gems and crystals that lay scattered about the land, making it glow. 

Stark seemed attracted to it as well, for the wizard's eyes were sparkling as he gazed about the wealthy land. "These crystals will be perfectly essential for my spells," He said, and Bartus couldn't help but smile. All the soldiers around them smiled as well as they imagined all the prospects that the crystals and gems could bring.

"Gather up the spoils, boys!" Bartus ordered his troops, who numbers were in the millions. This was an army that could destroy this land in one decisive swoop…

"What do you creeps think your doing?" a boyish voice shouted, and Bartus' army turned to face their visitor, who wasn't a boy at all but the small purple dragon that Stark had seen in his visions. The wizard smirked.

"You've got a lot of nerve, young one," he said, and threw up his hands to start up a spell. As he did, the dragon came charging at him, as well as his little horde of friends, which included Kartha's phoenix.

Bartus gave a shout to his troops, ordering them to charge at the small dragon and his little army. As their battle cries rose into the air, another shout rose across the field of crystals, making everyone halt. A familiar voice cried, "I have you now, father! You won't escape the wrath of Faerie!"  
"Traitorous wench!" Bartus roared, glaring at his daughter as she came charging out of the portal and unto the battlefield with all the fairies on Earth trailing behind her. Bartus realized with horror that her army far outnumbered his own, and that he had lost the battle before it even had time to begun.

"How did you escape?" Stark managed to shout at Kartha before her army completely overtook them. He was facing the demon princess now, weaving forth more spells to cast her down.

"With your help," she cried over the mayhem of battle, and leaped onto his back, digging her claws into his withered skin as he screamed and danced about. Up above the two opposing enemies, Leo saw his Mistress' brave attempts at winning the battle and swooped into save her, sweeping fire across the land as he soared over it. With a triumph screech he locked Stark into his claws and carried the wizard far away to his doom.

The battle raged on while the fire grew and grew. It ate up everything in its path, including over half of Bartus' army, which had begun to scatter as the blaze grew out of control. Spyro and his friends barely escaped with their lives but, after the fire had died down later that night, they returned to the scene of the Fairy War and discovered Bartus' scorched, lifeless body lying among thousands of his dead troops.

"And that takes care of him," Sparx said, looking over all the destruction. It had been a miracle that his friends had only escaped with a few burns and claw marks, and he blessed the fact that Spyro was still among them; the dragonfly truly didn't know what he would do without his furious, fire-breathing buddy.

"But Ripto's still out there," Elora pointed out just as Kartha and her army marched up to them, bearing less scars then all of Spyro and his friends put together.

"True, but I think we can handle him now," the Professor said, looking a bit shaken. What was left of his grey hair was still smoking from all that the battle had done to him, which wasn't much but he had still gotten a bit singed by the fire and he had no desire to be around anything hot anytime soon.

"Yeah, you got Spyro," Kartha said, bending down in front of the dragon to rub the skin in between his horns. Despite the disagreements between him and Kartha in the pass, Spyro began to chortle contentedly to himself as she scratched.

"Thanks Kartha," he sighed as she finished, and backed away. "But Sparx and I have got to be going."

"Yeah, we got Ripto's butt to kick," Sparx said, and Kartha smiled.

"Very well then," she said, saluting them. "I'll let you go, but remember us."

"You bet," Spyro said, and was about to launch himself into flight when Sparx suddenly asked Kartha a question that he had wanted to know himself so… he gently glided back to the ground to hear what was said.

"Wait, woman, just where did you get off to?"

Kartha chuckled at Sparx's question. "A little friend brought me back home and someone imprisoned me there," she said, watching the dragonfly flitter about her head as she spoke. "But I used my brains and escaped with Oberon here."

"So you guys are friends now?" Spyro said, remembering the feud that Kartha had had between the fairy king. Kartha smiled.

"You could say that…but it was Puck who formed the treaty between us," she said, and instantly Puck was flying between them, wielding a short spear over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I had to actually sit down with these guys and make them see sense," he said, and was suddenly distracted by something. "Say wait. Oberon, isn't that your woman?"

Everyone's heads turned as a lone elf woman stepped into their circle, a pair of blue wings open out on her back. Oberon knew at once that this had been the same woman he had fallen in love with at the beginning of time, not some demon's pawn, and in a flash he sprinted toward her, enfolding her in his masculine arms. Without warning, they locked lips with each other.

Sparx began to produce raucous gagging noise as the two fairy rulers made love to each other. "Ack, Spyro lets ditch this lovey-dovey place and make Ripto cry," he said, and Spyro chuckled.

"Right on, my friend," he agreed and, with one last look at the happy scene, leaped into the sky. He hoped to returned to this place and see its people soon but now…as Sparx said, it was time to make Ripto shed some tears.


	6. SIX: Dragon Flame

SIX:

Dragon Flame

Spyro twisted his lips up into a snarl as the volcano rose up to meet them. He and Sparx were spiraling into it, knowing that Ripto awaited them within its hellish depths.

"Nervous, buddy?" Sparx said, and Spyro shook his head, smiling confidently as he glided down to the center of the volcano and got his first good look at Ripto. Right away the dragon saw that the little man was going to be nowhere near as freighting nor repulsive as Gnasty Gnorc had been; he was just too small, and a thousand times uglier.

Sparx seemed to agree. "Eeeek, lets hurry and put him out of his misery, Spyro," Sparx suggested, and Spyro quickly obliged. With a challenging roar that the Dragon Elders would've been proud of back home, Spyro opened his mouth and unleashed an angry ball of dragon fire straight at Ripto, who had started to run from it when the mighty flame engulfed him, sending him toppling into the fiery lake beneath them. Confused, Gulp began to prance about wildly, roaring as Spyro charged at the helpless beast, eventually running him down and giving him the same fate as his Master.

The battle was finally over.

_The next day… _

Back in the home world of Avalar, everything that had been turned into stone or crystal by Ripto transformed back into its true form, and things were finally beginning to look normal again.

The Professor smiled as he realized this. He, along with everyone else, (and this included anyone who had just recently been freed from Ripto's spell) was helping clean up the mess that the demons had left behind and he was proud to be doing it.

Moneybags, however, was not so keen about dragging dead bodies around and putting them in a pile of other carcasses that was to be burned later that night. Come to think of it, the Professor couldn't remember the bear fighting last night either.

"Say, Moneybags, why don't you quit complaining and put some backbone into it!" Hunter ordered the bear, who was in the process of dragging a heavily-burnt body to the pyre when he turned around to face the Cheetah, who smirked at him.

"I've 'bout had enough of your insolence," Moneybags said, and the Professor braced himself for an onslaught between the two but, just when the situation looked grim, a tiny form came charging at them from the sky, knocking Moneybags far over the hills in the distance as the bear's body made contact with the victorious dragon's.

"Spyro, your back, and so soon!" the Professor cried, joyfully, and went to scoop the dragon in a hug when the youngster backed away from.

"Sorry, Professor, but…I think I'm too hot right now," he warned, and the Professor nodded in understanding.

"Well, you did just come out of a volcano, so I guess that that is very reasonable explanation," he said, and turned to Sparx. "What about you, old friend? How did you fare in this battle?"

"Pretty freaking great, now that Spyro and I can finally take our vacation," the dragonfly responded, and Elora chuckled. She had been approaching them from behind the Professor, who turned as everyone else did to stare at the faun. She looked extremely happy to be there among them.

"Yeah, that reminds me Professor," she began, putting an arm around the old man. "We got the portal fixed. It was trashed during the battle but we fixed it! So I guess that Spyro and his friend _can _go home."

The Professor nodded. "I see no reason in stopping them but…" he trailed off, peering hopefully into Spyro's mischievous face, "…Surely they can stay until after tonight, when we have the bonfire. I'm sure that it will be a glorious sight that these two would not want to miss."

"Hmmm…" Spyro said to himself, considering the idea, and Sparx sighed in despair. He knew that they weren't going to be going to the beach until tomorrow, and as usual, there was nothing that he could say or do about it.


	7. SEVEN: An Enchanted Night

SEVEN:

An Enchanted Night

The bonfire _had_ been glorious, Spyro learned that night as he watched the pyre burn and burn with his friends. It gave him a slight feeling of greatness, and he shared that feeling with Sparx.

"Talk about shiny," the dragonfly commented, and Spyro grinned. The fire did, indeed, glow with a vibrant light, and it reflected off of everybody in waves, making each individual there seem more and more life-like.

"Yes, very shiny," Spyro yawned, and felt his eyes began to droop as the heat made him sleepy. Maybe now he could finally get some rest.

Sparx heard a thump. Startled out of the reverie he had been in, he glanced down at Spyro and saw that the dragon had fallen asleep, snoring. Sparx chuckled to himself.

"And he says that he never snores," he muttered to himself, and yawned. Maybe taking a nap right now wasn't such a bad idea…

"Psst, hey Sparx, can have a word?" a voice as tiny as his own whispered, and Sparx turned to face Puck, who had fluttered over to him.

"Sure, but make it quick, partner," Sparx said, and Puck nodded.

"I just wanted to say…" the impish fairy began, raising his eyebrows as Spyro's snores became louder, "…That…well, it was nice knowing you. Have a good night's rest, bud, because you're going to need it."

"Yeah, sure," Sparx agreed, and that was the last thing he said before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

"Wake up, Spyro buddy, time to go to the beach!" Sparx was shouting joyfully into Spyro's ears as the dragon stirred awake. The moon shown down upon him as he frowned at his friend. 

"Why are we back here? I thought that we were in Avalar?" Spyro said, taking a look around. They were back in the Artisan home world, surrounded by the sounds of crickets, owls, and other creatures of the dark. He had slept all day.

"Did you hit your head or something, buddy?" Sparx said, flittering about anxiously. "We haven't even been to a place called Avalar, yet. What's wrong with you?"  
Spyro shook his head. "Maybe it was all just a dream," he said, and Sparx nodded, trying to listen to Spyro as his friend spoke. "The fairies…the demons…everyone in Avalar…they were all just a dream…"

"Sounds like it," Sparx said, looking confused. Spyro couldn't believe this…was he going crazy?  
"Oh hey, don't get upset about it!" Sparx said, watching Spyro's face crumple up into sheer misery. "Hey, if it makes you feel better we'll go chase some sheep, okay?"

Sniffling, Spyro blinked the tears that were forming in his eyes and met Sparx's concerned stare. The dragonfly was wearing a hopeful grin on his yellow face that Spyro just couldn't ignore. The dragon smiled weakly.

"Those sheep are going to wish that they were never born," he said, and Sparx whooped, taking off into a frenzied flight. Spyro sat and watched the bug for a moment before taking off after his lifetime friend, his heart still back in Avalar with its people and the fairies. He would always miss them….though somehow he knew that the real adventure was just beginning.

THE END

**

* * *

****AUTHOR'S LAST NOTE: Well, that's it! Hope everyone enjoyed the surprise ending. I would like to think everyone who reviewed, espically Draganta the Dragonlord, who not only gave me great reviews but also gave me an interesting hint on the last Eragon book. As for all my other readers...thanks for reading!**


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